Sports Tuition

Australian bass are often found around structure and yellowbelly around rocky areas, and the kids fishing on Sports Tuition's activities at Maroon Dam last month focused on these structures during their time on the water, which netted some great results of both species.

The month was full of school survivor camps, but before they even started, Sports Tuition hosted a boy's 13th birthday party at Maroon. The birthday boy is a mad keen fisherman and we hosted his 12th birthday party on Hinze last year, but this year he wanted a different fishing location so we opted for Maroon, and because outboard motors are permitted on Maroon we had another activity of tube rides for the boys as well. The boys rotated between the tube rides and fishing. It was a good combination which kept the boys energised for the whole time. Creating plenty of excitement was not just the tube rides, but the number of fish they were catching. The focal point for the fishing was around the timber in the water.

Over the years I've found this structured area to provide some quality fish, but a word of warning, it is also patchy at times as well. The boys tied up to a dead tree and the best results came from fishing about 10m from the bank. The depth was approximately 9m, which is an ideal depth for bass during the middle of the day. Live shrimp was used as bait and the boys caught some solid bass and one big eel tailed catfish. The bass were on in good numbers because the barometer was up. The conditions weren't really that pleasant, with constant rain all day, but it didn't dampen any spirits. It was a great day which ended with a BBQ lunch by the water. I must say a special thank you to McDonald's who lent me a few marquees for the month, because with the amount of rain we had on this day in particular, they came in very handy.

The following day after the birthday party was the start of Sunnybank Hills State School's Year 7 school camp. It was great to get some idea as to where the fish were biting prior to the commencement of the camp. The timber was again the first point of call for the school camp fishing activity. However, the catch rate wasn't as high as the previous day, so we opted to move down towards the dam wall. Off the point of the exclusion zone right next to the dam wall is a rocky area. We've had groups fish this area when the dam was at 20% capacity (it's now 90%), so knowing what the structure is like underneath the surface is a big advantage. The bigger fish were landed about 15m off the point. The down side with the rig we were using was quite a few snags, but the catch rates were definitely worth it. There were quite a few smaller bass caught in this region, along with plenty of small spangled perch, but the catch of the week was a 42cm yellowbelly. Regardless of what size the fish were, the screams of excitement from the kids involved were just a loud for every fish brought into the boat. For this first camp, and for the camps to follow during the month, we rotated between the rocky structure near the wall and the dead timber at the far end of the dam. Maroon Dam is not an overly large dam, and even with the Quintrex boats which are powered by Minn Kota electric motors, it only took the kids around 30 minutes to drive from one end of the dam to the other. And the kids actually like driving the boats just as much as the fishing, so it's a pretty good time frame to work with if there is the need to travel in search of more fish.

Sports Tuition's school camps have the students actively involved the whole camp. The kids are often surprised that they are in the boats by themselves and they are given the responsibility of driving their own boat in search of catching a fish. In designing programs for these camps, a philosophy is employed to never underestimate what a child can achieve. Even for those who have never been fishing before, and let me tell you, there are plenty of them, it doesn't take long before they work out how to drive the boat and they overcome the fear of sticking their hand in the live shrimp container and are able to bait their own hook in pretty quick time. To my knowledge there aren't a lot of fishing activities incorporated into school camp programs. The Sports Tuition set up is quite unique and child friendly, which ensures safety for everyone involved. It is certainly a joy to watch so many young children catch their very first fish and the excitement that goes with it.

There are also plenty of other exciting activities during the camp which keep the kids going. An awesome abseil has been setup and going down the sheer cliff certainly gets the heart pumping. The water hole next to the abseil area is a great spot to cool off afterwards and with the amount of rain we've had, the waterfall is really flowing into the swimming hole at the moment. An extreme abseil like this one is not ideal for all age groups however, and later in the month when Ormiston College Year 5's were going through the program, they opted for a milk crate climb instead of the abseil, which is much more age appropriate. The students certainly enjoy the open fire cooking when they have to cook their bacon and egg muffins and toast their marshmallows, but they also love the archery and canoeing as well. All the schools opted for the Survivor theme for these school camps. The kids were allocated bandannas and divided into tribes to undertake a series of challenges which also saw them voting at tribal council. The students with the most points from tribal council from each tribe played off for an Ultimate Survivor Award, and special thanks to L.Wilson & Co and McDonalds for providing the prizes for these camps. The Ultimate Survivor competitors were presented with an Angler's Choice 100 piece tackle box, McDonald's water bottle, cap and sports ball. In addition to these prizes, the winner was also presented with a SureCatch rod & reel combo, which I'm sure they'll put to good use after the fishing experience they've just had.

Before this run of school survivor camps, a couple of schools opted to have their school camp based at the beach. Camps were run at Coolum and Alexandra Headlands. A range of activities take place at these campsites and the beach is utilised with beach games, boogie boarding and surf awareness. So, whether it's the bush or the beach, talk to your child's teacher and get their school involved in a Sports Tuition School Camp program.


Holly, from Ormiston College, picked up several bass during her Year 5 camp at Maroon Dam.


Outboard motors are permitted on Maroon Dam and the venue is quite popular with water skiers. The young kids also enjoy the tube rides during the birthday parties.


Jack managed to land this big eel-tailed catfish around the timber during his mates' birthday party.


The students from Sunnybank Hills State School enjoyed the abseil. It is always a popular school camp activity. There is nothing like overcoming a bit of fear!


It's always a good idea to look for structure when fishing for bass. This one was caught on Ormiston College's Year 5 camp around the dead trees in the water. If you were 10 years old and away on a school camp, you'd have to be happy with a fish like this!


The milk crate climb is an activity that the kids love. They have to work as a team to see how high each person can get before the crates topple over.


The abseil takes place in a magical setting at Maroon Dam and the kids love the swim in the water hole with the waterfall that flows into it.